Play Guide [356k PDF] - Arizona Theatre Company

The Great GatsbyOTHER WRITINGS• The Vegetable, or From President to Postman (play, 1923)• The Crack-Up (essays, 1945)• On Negative Capability (essay, 1944)- www.wikipedia.comAN INTERVIEW WITH SIMON LEVYLEVYAdapter Simon Levy answered questions from ATC Literary Manager Jenny Bazzellabout undertaking the creation of a stage version of The Great Gatsby. Read on todiscover the process he took to secure the rights from the Fitzgerald estate, how hedealt with the logistics of adapting such an iconic novel and how he integrated thespecifics of the era into the script.Jenny Bazzell: Yours is the only stage adaptation of TheGreat Gatsby authorized by the Fitzgerald estate. Can youtell us a little bit about what steps were involved in securingpermission for your adaptation?Simon Levy: Like any good story, the journey to obtainingthe stage rights to The Great Gatsby was a long one full ofidealism, luck, perseverance, disappointments, proving one'sself to the guardians at the gate, overcoming obstacles, andultimately, passion. When I first approached the FitzgeraldEstate in the early '90s they said no, The Great Gatsby wasoff-limits. However, because of my passion and idealismand love of Fitzgerald, they told me I could do anotherSimon Levynovel, with severe restrictions attached of course. Theyhad to approve it first. So, essentially, I would have to do it on spec. I'd just finishedreading Tender is the Night, which I adored and, sadly, identified with. I'd been goingthrough some of the things Dick Diver encounters in the novel, so I was very passionateabout it. Everyone thought I was crazy. "Impossible," my colleagues said. "It's unwieldy,unadaptable." Well, nothing makes me more passionate than the "impossible." I figured Icould whip it out in a few months and see what the Fitzgerald Estate thought, then worryabout the rest. 2 1/2 years later (I'm giving you the short version), I finally presented a draftI was proud of, the Estate approved it, we staged it at the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles,it was a hit, and won the PEN Literary Award for Drama. I went back to the Estate, awardsin hand, and asked for Gatsby again. Again they said no. "But pick something else," theysaid. "Like what?" I asked. "How about The Last Tycoon?" "But it's an unfinished novel,"I said. "So finish it." Another challenge! 1 1/2 years later (I was getting faster) The LastTycoon was produced at the Fountain Theatre to critical and popular success. So I wentArizona Theatre Company Play Guide 13